Romancing the Stone

Author's Note: Hi Everyone. This is a story that I started a couple of years ago which I would love to finish up but seemed to lost my inspiration. I could really use some comments on the storyline and your suggestions as to where it might end up. Please, PLEASE, your reviews would really be appreciated. Let me know if you think it's a story worth finishing. Thanks.


ROMANCING THE STONE

"How much for this?" Brooke Westchester asked the teenage girl who was working the section.

"Oh, I don't know! How about $5.00?" the petite blonde youth suggested.

Brooke scrunched her face, appalled at the price. This was the annual "Cheerleader's Garage Sale." Every year, at the beginning of the sl yel year, while the weather was still nice, the local high school cheer leading squad would have a huge garage sale after taking collections all summer long. Brooke would stop by every year and spend a few dollars to help their cause. However, it seemed like every year the prices increased and Brooke felt like the girls were taking advantage of people's good nature.

The young blonde noticed Brooke's hesitance to pay the price she quoted when Brooke started to set the paperweight down.

"$4.00," the girl spit out quickly.

Brooke paused for a moment, but then shook her head and moved again to set the item down.

"$3.00?" It sounded more like a plea than a question this time.

"$2.50 is the most I'd pay!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Sold," the girl agreed.

Brooke smirked, satisfied as she handed the girl two one-dollar bills and two quarters that she retrieved from her change purse.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"No, thank you," Brooke said. "I'll see you next year." She dropped the paperweight into her tote bag and walked to her car. She was about to unlock the door when she heard her name being called.

"Brooke. Hey Brooke!"

She turned to see who it was and smiled when recognized her friend, Nathan. He was in spandex jogging gear, for his daily run, which ultimately took him past the school. He ran over to her.

"I thought that was you. Hey sweet cheeks, how ya been?" He stopped running and was slightly bent over, his hands on his knees, supporting his upper body. Sweat dripped down both temples and he was breathing heavily.

"Nathan, you nut! I just saw you last night. You're acting like we haven’t seen each other for months," she smiled warmly at him.

Nathan pulled her into an exaggerated embrace. "Not seeing you for even one hour seems like an eternity," he teased.

"Ooww, yuck! Nathan, let go of me. You're all sweaty."

He laughed and released her. Nathan and Brooke had been good friends since the day they met at the very high school they were standing in front of eight years ago.

They both had lived in the loneliness that being labeled an "outcast" by their classmates brought them: Nathan, because he was gay and Brooke, because she was fat. Nathan had noticed that Brooke always sat by herself in the cafeteria during lunch and one day decided to ask if he could sit at her table. A new friendship was formed, one that would last throughout the entire three-year curriculum and beyond.

"Did you find anything good this year?" Nathan asked. He was watching the bustling activity just inside the school gate where the garage sale was set up.

"Nothing much. Every year it seems to get more expensive. Soon, you'll be able to pay less for brand new than what they sell it for," she laughed.

"See anything I might like?"

"Just a bunch of women's clothes,” she teased. “But most of them are size three."

"Damn!" Nathan laughed and snapped his fingers.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your run. I'll see you tonight, okay?" Brooke said.

"You know, Brooke, you really ought to try this sometime. I'd be willing to coach you."

Brooke got in her blue Toyota Corolla and rolled down the window as she started the car. "Right, Nathan. I can barely make it up the stairs at work without getting out of breath. What makes you think I want to run? No thanks. My car is not THAT bad."

Nathan smiled at her with sympathy. "Well, when you're ready, the offer is there."

"Thanks. I'll see you at 7:00, okay?"

Nathan winked. "Yep!" He took off running again.

Brooke backed out of the parking stall and headed for home. As soon as Nathan was out of sight, she frowned. She knew he had her best interests at heart, and she wished that she could take him up on his offer, but she was far too out of shape.

"Lazy!" she chided herself.

Brooke hated her body. She was what one would consider a healthy size fourteen. To Brooke though, it was the same as weighing 300 pounds. Battling with a weight problem her entire life had left her with a lack of self-confidence. She knew that no matter WHAT size she was, she would always see herself as fat.

Her lack of self-confidence affected her life in many ways, not the least of which was that she was single with no boyfriend. Single with no prospects, even. She thanked god she had Nathan to keep her company on some of those lonely nights, which would have otherwise been unbearable.

Brooke arrived home to her relatively spacious two-bedroom apartment. Although she lived alone, when her grandmother had died, she had willed Brooke her beautiful Baby Grand piano and some antique furniture along with a wonderful paperweight collection.

She tossed her tote bag and purse on the couch and headed into the bedroom and the shower to get ready for her evening with Nathan. They were going to the movies. Something they did ritually on the second Saturday of the every month. The movie they were to see tonight would be Nathan's choice. She would get to choose next month.

She was usually happy with her friend's choice of a flick, as long as it wasn't a slasher film, which was Nathan's favorite kind. She just couldn't stand the gore of horror movies. She’d have nightmares for the next week.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nathan arrived fifteen minutes early, as usual. He was always prompt, always well dressed, and alwayeerfeerful around Brooke. His attitude never ceased to amaze her, being that he worked such a dreary job. Nathan was an undertaker. He came from a long line of undertakers, and the funeral home he worked in had been in his family for years. It seemed only natural that he follows in his father's footsteps, and his father before him. It was assumed that one day his family would leave the funeral home to Nathan.

He knocked on the screen door and called Brooke's name. When she didn't come to let him in, he used his key. Brooke was just getting out of the shower and hadn't heard Nathan knocking.

Nathan entered and went to the kitchen to get a Coke. He popped it open and set it on the coffee table, then he walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench. He tinkered on the keys until he heard Brooke say something.

"Is that you, Nathan?"

"Yeah, hun. It's only me. You almost ready? The show starts at 7:20."

Brooke walked out of the bedroom, dressed, but was still towel drying her permed hair. "Yeah, I just need a few more minutes. Why don't you put my new paperweight in the breakfront with the others while I finish my hair? It's in my tote bag on the couc

"No problem," Nathan responded and went to her tote to get out the newest addition to her grandmother's collection. After Brooke had acquired the set, she had continued in her grandmother's footsteps and kept adding to the collection. She was up 79 pieces with the one she bought today.

Nathan pulled out the item and examined it. It was truly unusual. A triangular piece of cut crystal inost ost amazing shade of green. Nathan thought it was beautiful and slightly envied Brooke for finding it before he had. He usually gave Brooke any paperweights he came across, but this one he would have kept for himself, had he found it first. It seemed to mesmerize him.

"Wow, Brooke. This is some piece. I've never seen one that glows like this before. It almost looks like an emerald."

Brooke called out from the bedroom, "What do you mean, glows? You mean when the light catches it?"

"No, Brooke, I mean it glows. It gets luminous when I pick it up. You didn't notice that when you bought it?" He placed it inside the breakfront after rearranging a few pieces to accommodate a place for it.

Brooke finished readying herself and joined Nathan in the living room.

"No. It didn't glow when I was looking at it earlier. Show me what you mean."

Nathan shrugged and picked the piece back up again. It started to glow in his hands, the brightness growing stronger and stronger with each passing second, coming directly from the center of the crystal.

"See? Isn't it awesome?"

"Jesus, Nathan. That's bitchin! Let me see it."

He gently tossed the stone to Brooke who was standing on the other side of the sofa. As soon as the stone left his hand, the glowing stopped.

Brooke caught it and expected it to start glowing again when it was in her hand, but nothing happened.

"That's funny. It doesn't glow for me. Are you sure you're not playing a trick on me, Nathan?"

He shook his head no. "I swear, there's nothing up my sleeves."

"Well it must only work for you then, because it's not doing diddly for me," she sighed. "Here, put ack,ack, will ya?"

She held it out for Nathan to take and once again, as soon as he touched it, it glowed bright green.

Nathan took his time returning it to the place he made for it in the breakfront. It was as if he didn't want to let go of it, as if the simple stone fascinated him.

"Do you think it could be something else? Like a piece from a crystal ball or one of those crystals that the new-agers talk about that heal or bring love or something like that?" Brooke inquired.

"I have no idea, Brooke. All I know is that it's about the mosautiautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on. Sure you wouldn't want to part with it?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll give it to you for your birthday or something. We'll see. But if we don’t get going, we're going to be late for the movie."

Nathan, satisfied in the idea that the stone might be his one day, agreed and they left for the theater.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


In another part of the world, in an underground cavern, the God of War was being tugged out hun hundred and twenty-two year slumber by a strange call.

He sat up in the sarcophagus, yawned and stretched his arms.

"Yyywwooooww, gods, that was a good rest. I wonder what year it is?" he said aloud to himself. "I bet I slept at least forty years."

He rose, and wiped the sand from his eyes and walked over to an extremely dusty mirror. He blew on it and the dust vanished and the mirror looked new, once again. He studied his reflection.

"Still a good looking devil, aren't you?" he muttered seriously.

It was true. The God of War was one fine looking man, in any year or era. Tall, dark and handsome as the women of this time would soon call him. His shoulder length hair had wavy curls and was deep, raven-black in color. His eyes matched his hair in darkness and depth.

He had bronzed skin, as if he had been sunbathing naked from birth on the beaches of the French Riviera. A strong jaw, luscious lips, chiseled chest and thick arms.

Ares was also a heartbreaker and had always been a womanizer. He loved women and women loved him. Even if he hadn't been as attractive as he was, he still would have had tons of women falling at his feet. He was a god, and because he was a god, he had an aura of confidence surrounding him at all times. He was always sure about himself, his actions, his decisions, ahat hat attracted people to him in flocks.

The last time he was awake and roaming the land, he was on a quest to find another piece of the Crontonetone. After following numerous dead-end leads, and turning up empty-handed each time, he became frustrated and decided to take a short rest and try again in a few years.

That had been one hundred and twenty-two years ago. What woke him was the power of a Cronos stone surge. It only happened for a brief moment, but was strong enough to draw him out of his rest. He was anxious to locate it, especially after feeling its power signal. The sigthe the stone gave off was like a radar beacon to the god. He would he have to be patient and wait for it to happen again. Then he could locate it, find out who had it in their possession and try to get it.

Out of the five pieces of the Cronos stone, he already had three. He had acquired the third piece back in Wales in the 1200's from King John of England. Ares had accepted the e ase as a gift from the king for introducing the man's daughter, Joan, to Llewelyn ap lorwerth, ruler of the kingdom of Gwynedd.

King John was grateful for the inmentmental part the god had played in uniting the two lands into a single political unit by the marriage of his daughter to Llewelyn in 1204. It had been an easy task for Ares to perform, not even having to use his powers to do so. Llewelyn had been desperate for an heir, and Joan, desperate to escape from her father's watchful eye.

Whenever Ares had to intermix with mortals, he was sure to surround himself with those who were considered upper class and wealthy or those of royalty. It only seemed natural for him to do so, being of such high stature himself. And it was so easy to manipulate the selfish mortals to do things for him or, as with King John, to give him something.

Since Wales, he hadn't had any solid information as to where either of the last two pieces could be found. This little r sig signal that had awakened him was the first real indication that they were still around.

Although Ares was glad he felt the power of the green stone, it also had concerned him, as well. As far as he knew, or so he thought anyway, he was the only Olympian god who had survived. He credited his survival to possessing the pieces of the stone he already had. He knew since only a god could induce the power of the Cronos stone, someone with godly powers had to have set off this piece. That meant he wasn't the only god still alive on this planet.

Ares entertained thoughts of how he would go about destroying this other god. He had worked far too hard at acquiring the pieces he had already, and had no intention of allowing anybody to interfere with his plans. When the time came and he collected all five pieces, then he would become an all-powerful entity and supreme ruler of the world. This was Ares' life-long goal: to rule the world ~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AresAres materialized himself closer in proximity to where he thought the stone might be. He ended up in Buenos Aires, a city where most residents were considered beautiful. Here, plastic surgery was almost as common as having babies. Tiny women in even tinier bikinis. Men in their Speedos, lifting weights by the beach. Everyone was tan and well groomed.

Ares fit right in and he made himselfempoemporary home in the city. He did a lot of sightseeing to occupy his time while he waited for another signal from the Cronos stone. Sometimes he would go into town and party at one of the numerous hotel clubs.

He got to where he could tell the tourists from the residence with ease, and would often pick up on the ladies from the United States and other visiting countries. He’d show them around to all of the beautiful and romantic locations and sweep them off their feet. Then they would leave Buenos Aires a couple of weeks later, and claim it was the best time they ever had.